The Crown Prince Alois of Liechtenstein has fulfilled his commitment to prevent the liberalization of abortion in the principality. Last Tuesday, October 20, he announced that he would not sanction the reform approved by Parliament on September 2, which sought to allow abortion during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. With this decision, the regent maintains the legal protection of the life of the unborn in one of the few European countries where abortion remains generally prohibited.
The Princely House officially confirmed the veto through a statement explaining that Alois had devoted considerable attention to the proposal in recent months, but remained convinced that the reform did not guarantee adequate protection of human life before birth.
“He remains convinced that the proposed reform is not compatible with ensuring adequate protection of unborn life as a fundamental legal value,” the statement reads.
The Crown Prince has thus exercised one of his main constitutional prerogatives, preventing a law that would have introduced abortion on demand during the first trimester of pregnancy from coming into force.
Alois fulfills what he announced in June
The decision ends several months of debate in the principality. Already in June, when the citizens’ initiative Fristenlösung began to be considered, Alois made it clear that he would not give his consent to a reform that would remove the criminal protection of the unborn during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.
Despite his warning, the promoters of the initiative managed to collect 4,970 signatures, nearly a quarter of the electorate, and brought the proposal to Parliament, where it was approved on September 2 by a narrow majority of 13 votes to 12.
The reform also included, in addition to the decriminalization of abortion during the first trimester, the removal of restrictions on the dissemination of information about the practice and its funding through health insurance.
Parliament also rejected a proposal to submit the reform to a referendum, so its entry into force remained pending the Crown Prince’s sanction. Alois has now made effective the warning he had issued even before the collection of signatures began.
The Church of Liechtenstein defended the dignity of the unborn
The Catholic Church also intervened during the processing of the reform. The apostolic administrator of Vaduz, Benno Elbs, issued a statement on August 21 in which he recalled that human dignity does not depend on the stage of development of the person or the circumstances of their conception.
“The unborn possess an intrinsic and inalienable dignity from the beginning and therefore deserve the same protection granted to all human life,” the bishop stated.
Elbs insisted that the defense of the unborn child must be accompanied by concrete measures of support for mothers and families, especially when they face difficult situations.
The apostolic administrator also drew attention to a contradiction in the political debate in the principality: Liechtenstein has for years lacked a hospital maternity unit, so women must travel to neighboring countries to give birth, while the possibility of facilitating abortion within its borders was being discussed.
“I am concerned that, on the one hand, women seek hospital care for maternity in neighboring countries, while, on the other, the possibility of creating the conditions for the termination of pregnancy at the national level is being discussed. It seems to me that something is not working,” he noted.
Elbs called for building a society in which every child is welcomed and in which women and families receive the necessary help to face a pregnancy under difficult circumstances.
Protecting life and supporting pregnant women
Prince Alois has defended a similar position in his October 20 statement. Although he has rejected the legalization of abortion during the first trimester, he has expressed support for improving information, counseling, and support services for women before, during, and after pregnancy.
He has also expressed his willingness to consider lifting the ban on advertising related to abortion, an issue that is part of the legislative debate in the principality.
“I am convinced that many people share the goal of offering the best possible support to women in difficult situations and, at the same time, protecting unborn life,” he stated.
The Prince’s decision thus maintains his opposition to the general decriminalization of abortion, while leaving open the possibility of introducing changes in measures to assist pregnant women.
A Catholic prince who retains the right of veto
Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy in which the prince retains significant political powers, including the authority to withhold sanction from laws passed by Parliament.
Alois has exercised the functions of head of state since 2004, when his father, Hans-Adam II, delegated the exercise of his powers to him. Although he had previously announced his willingness to veto abortion reforms, he had not until now used this prerogative to block a law.
The most important precedent dates back to 2011, when another initiative to liberalize abortion was rejected in a referendum by 52.3% of voters. At that time, the prince had also warned that he would not sanction a reform contrary to the protection of life.
A year later, in 2012, citizens were again called to the polls, this time to decide whether the prince’s veto powers should be limited. Approximately 70% voted in favor of maintaining the current constitutional system.
The principality, located between Switzerland and Austria, has about 41,000 inhabitants and retains a marked Catholic identity. Nearly 70% of the population professes this religion, which maintains its constitutional recognition as the religion of the state.
Liechtenstein maintains legal protection of the unborn
Liechtenstein’s legislation continues to criminalize abortion in general, although it provides for exceptions in certain situations, such as a serious danger to the life or health of the mother, pregnancies resulting from sexual crimes, or when the pregnant woman was under 14 years of age at the time of conception.
The regulations also maintain restrictions on the promotion of abortion. Until 2015, women could be penalized for traveling abroad to have an abortion, a prohibition that was later removed.
According to estimates by the Swiss public broadcaster SRF, around 40 women residing in Liechtenstein travel each year to Austria or Switzerland to have an abortion, countries where legislation allows the practice during the first months of pregnancy.
Alois’s decision comes in a European context marked by successive initiatives to expand access to abortion. Recently, Spain and eleven other European countries signed a declaration calling for laws to facilitate the practice and advance its decriminalization.
In contrast to this trend, Liechtenstein maintains its current legislation after the Crown Prince exercised his constitutional authority to prevent the entry into force of a reform he considered incompatible with the protection of the life of the unborn.